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McKeen’s 2018 Draft Guide: Final Top 31 Rankings

BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 2: Rasmus Dahlin talks at the podium during the NHL Scouting Combine on June 2, 2018 at HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Jerome Davis/Icon Sportswire)
BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 2: Rasmus Dahlin talks at the podium during the NHL Scouting Combine on June 2, 2018 at HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Jerome Davis/Icon Sportswire)

Rasmus Dahlin projects to be the first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

The multi-faceted Swedish defenseman is expected to be followed off the board by a pair of European-born, CHL-based wingers in Andrei Svechnikov of the Barrie Colts and Filip Zadina of the Halifax Mooseheads.

The trio earned the highest Overall Future Projection (OFP) scores, as per the 20/80 grading system developed by McKeen's Director of Scouting Ryan Wagman.

The top three OFP grades of 65.50 (Dahlin), 63.75 (Svechnikov), and 63.50 (Zadina) represent a slight upgrade over the top picks from 2017, namely Nico Hischier (New Jersey), Nolan Patrick (Philadelphia), and Miro Heiskanen (Dallas).

Hischier and Patrick were the only 2017 draftees to earn OFP scores of at least 60, whereas this season there are five players.

American-born wingers Brady Tkachuk, the son of NHL Hall-of-Fame winger Keith Tkachuk, and Oliver Wahlstrom achieved scores of 61.25 and 60.75 respectively, and are rated fourth and fifth in the 2018 McKeen's Draft Rankings

The Ottawa Senators and Arizona Coyotes hold the fourth and fifth selections, in line to take Tkachuk and Wahlstrom, but will be tempted as well by a quartet of talented defensemen occupying the next four spots in the rankings (6-9).

Quinn Hughes enjoyed an outstanding freshman season at the University of Michigan, however his undersized stature (sub 5-10") might sway some NHL clubs to look instead at Evan Bouchard (6-2"/195) of the London Knights, the top-scoring defensemen in the CHL with 87 points, or Noah Dobson (6-3"/180), a Memorial Cup winner with Acadie-Bathurst.

Smooth-skating Swede Adam Boqvist of Brynas is rated ninth, yet considered more of a wildcard who could either move up or down the draft board. It should be noted that Boqvist did receive an OFP score of 59.75 - the sixth-highest mark among the 2018 draft class, with the caveat that the OFP is meant to look at highest reasonable projection, but does not necessarily account for inherent prospect uncertainty.

HAYTON CENTERS

Barrett Hayton of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Photo by Terrry Wilson / OHL Images.
Barrett Hayton of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Photo by Terrry Wilson / OHL Images.

Unlike last year when seven of the top ten picks were centers, the 2018 draft class is lacking in high-end centermen prospects.

The last time the top 10 was this bereft of centers was in 2012 when Montreal also had the third-overall pick and selected Alex Galchenyuk.

Joe Veleno of the Drummondville Voltigeurs is the top-rated pivot in the McKeen's ranking at No. 10, with Barrett Hayton at 11 (Sault Ste. Marie) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Assat Pori) at 13, both hot on his heels.

Slick left winger Joel Farabee of the U.S. National Development Program is ranked 12th and, along with Hayton and Kotkaniemi, a legitimate candidate to move up and land a top 10 selection.

Blueliners round out the top 15 in the form of K'Andre Miller of the NTDP, a favourite among the McKeen's staff, and Ty Smith of the Spokane Chiefs, who captained Team Canada at the U18 World Junior Championship.

It wasn't a particularly good performance for Smith at the WU18 which, along with a disastrous showing at the CHL Top Prospects Game, helped to soften his stock after being ranked No. 10 in the McKeen's preliminary rankings back in October.

EURO-POLY

Vitali Kravtsov
Vitali Kravtsov

An array of European forwards occupy five of the next six spots including Russian Vitali Kravtsov (16th), German Dominik Bokk (17th), Swede Isac Lundestrom (19th), Czech Martin Kaut (20th), and Finn Rasmus Kupari (21st).

The Ontario Hockey League dominates the end of the opening round led by Serron Noel of the Oshawa Generals, an intriguing prospect at 6-5" and 205 pounds, easily the largest body in the first round. He began and ended the season in the No. 22 spot, though scouting projections vary as to what his true scoring upside might be.

Slotted next are a pair of blueliners in Rasmus Sandin (Sault Ste. Marie) and Jared McIsaac (Halifax) who followed quite divergent paths before settling beside one another in the final rankings at 23rd and 24th.

Sandin impressed immediately upon arriving to the Soo in late October, and continued to raise his portfolio throughout the campaign.

Conversely, McIsaac, the second-overall pick in the 2016 QMJHL draft, began the season as a potential top 10 pick only to slip down in the rankings, propelled by a mistake-filled performance at the CHL Top Prospects Game in January. He wasn't alone in that regard.

IMPOSSIBLE KNIGHTS

Liam Foudy of the London Knights. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.
Liam Foudy of the London Knights. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

No one of right mind could have predicted the expansion Vegas Golden Knights would march to the Stanley Cup Finals, conquering the NHL Western Conference - and with somewhat relative ease.

Intense, smothering, relentless, fast, skilled... some of the adjectives ascribed to Vegas on their incredible quest.  These characteristics ooze from Vegas' ridiculous top line of William Karlsson (a second-round pick in 2011 by Anaheim), Reilly Smith (a Dallas third-rounder in 2009), and 5-9" undrafted winger Jonathan Marchessault.

Skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ, physicality - these are the attributes measured for skaters using the 20/80 grading system to arrive at an Overall Future Projection (OFP) score.

Six areas are assessed for goalies: athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling.

The remaining players filling out the first round in the McKeen's rankings each display elements of what NHL teams are looking for and attained high OFP scores from our scouting staff.

Of this group, Akil Thomas (26th) of the Niagara IceDogs earned the top OFP grade of 56.75.

Calen Addison (Lethbridge) and Ryan Merkley (Guelph) were next with OFP's of 56.25 and 56.00 respectively, and hold down the final two spots in the opening round.  All players below this in the rankings received OFP scores below 56.00.

The lure of speed and skill will draw attention to the forwards at the bottom of the first round - Liam Foudy (25th), Akil Thomas (26th), Grigori Denisenko (27th), Jonatan Berggren (28th), and Ryan McLeod (29th).

Foudy of the London Knights was arguably the biggest riser over the draft season as the Scarborough, Ontario native distinguished himself at the CHL Top Prospects off-ice testing, placing first in four tests (and top 3 in 9).  He then emerged over the second half with an eye-opening 19-game stretch in which he scored 18 goals.

The other big riser was Berggren, who shot the lights out in the Swedish Junior ranks and showed improvement at each international event culminating in a very good performance at the U18 Worlds.

RANK PLAYER POS TEAM HT/WT DOB Nation
1 Rasmus Dahlin D Frolunda (Swe) 6-2/185 13-Apr-00 Sweden
2 Andrei Svechnikov RW Barrie (OHL) 6-2/190 26-Mar-00 Russia
3 Filip Zadina RW Halifax (QMJHL) 6-0/195 27-Nov-99 Czech
4 Brady Tkachuk LW Boston University (HE) 6-3/195 16-Sep-99 USA
5 Oliver Wahlstrom RW NTDP (USA) 6-1/205 13-Jun-00 USA
6 Quinn Hughes D Michigan (B1G) 5-10/175 14-Oct-99 USA
7 Evan Bouchard D London (OHL) 6-2/195 20-Oct-99 Canada
8 Noah Dobson D Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) 6-3/180 7-Jan-00 Canada
9 Adam Boqvist D Brynas (Swe) 5-11/170 15-Aug-00 Sweden
10 Joe Veleno C Drummondville (QMJHL) 6-1/195 13-Jan-00 Canada
11 Barrett Hayton C Sault Ste Marie (OHL) 6-1/190 9-Jun-00 Canada
12 Joel Farabee LW NTDP (USA) 5-11/165 25-Feb-00 USA
13 Jesperi Kotkaniemi C Assat Pori (Fin) 6-1/190 6-Jul-00 Finland
14 K'Andre Miller D NTDP (USA) 6-3/205 21-Jan-00 USA
15 Ty Smith D Spokane (WHL) 5-10/180 24-Mar-00 Canada
16 Vitali Kravtsov RW Traktor Chelyabinsk (Rus) 6-2/170 23-Dec-99 Russia
17 Bode Wilde D NTDP (USA) 6-2/195 24-Jan-00 USA
18 Dominik Bokk RW Vaxjo Lakers (Swe) 6-1/180 3-Feb-00 Germany
19 Isac Lundestrom C Lulea (Swe) 6-0/185 6-Nov-99 Sweden
20 Martin Kaut RW Pardubice (Cze) 6-1/175 2-Oct-99 Czech
21 Rasmus Kupari C Karpat Oulu (Fin) 6-1/185 15-Mar-00 Finland
22 Serron Noel RW Oshawa (OHL) 6-5/205 8-Aug-00 Canada
23 Rasmus Sandin D Sault Ste Marie (OHL) 5-11/185 7-Mar-00 Sweden
24 Jared McIsaac D Halifax (QMJHL) 6-1/195 27-Mar-00 Canada
25 Liam Foudy C London (OHL) 6-0/175 4-Feb-00 Canada
26 Akil Thomas C Niagara (OHL) 5-11/170 2-Jan-00 Canada
27 Grigori Denisenko LW Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Rus) 5-11/175 24-Jun-00 Russia
28 Jonatan Berggren RW Skelleftea (Swe) 5-10/185 6-Jul-00 Sweden
29 Ryan McLeod C Mississauga (OHL) 6-2/205 21-Sep-99 Canada
30 Calen Addison D Lethbridge (WHL) 5-10/180 11-Apr-00 Canada
31 Ryan Merkley D Guelph (OHL) 5-11/170 14-Aug-00 Canada